Tenant Injured by Collapsing Staircase

Case Background

Our client was a tenant in an older apartment building in East Los Angeles. She had complained multiple times about the deteriorating exterior staircase, but the landlord ignored her requests. One evening, a step gave way beneath her and she fell nearly a full story, suffering a broken ankle, fractured wrist, and severe bruising.

Challenges We Overcame

• Landlord claimed no prior notice of the hazard
• Building management company was separate from owner
• Defense blamed tenant for not using handrail
• Insurance coverage disputes between owner and management

Our Legal Strategy

We obtained copies of our client's written maintenance requests and text messages to the landlord about the stairs. Building inspection records revealed multiple code violations. We named both the property owner and management company as defendants.

The Outcome

We negotiated a $650,000 settlement from the combined insurance policies of the property owner and management company. The settlement covered medical expenses, lost wages, and compensation for our client's ongoing ankle problems.